Medical history pocket folders



14, 1964 K. e. .GOSS ETAL 3,117,608

MEDICAL HISTORY POCKET FOLDERS Filed June 28, 1962 Z Y. STATE no.2 I!

44/ IFT Ili /see ng; T ,y i :0; 4mm Dos/" To OPEN/ 4 /6FT Leven/y/rsm m2. J HM DOE llnited States Patent Billfififi Patented Jan. 14, 1954 3,117,608 NIEDICAL HISTORY POCKET FOLDERS Kenneth G. Goss, Mahopac, and William E. Duryea, Snlfern, N.Y., assiwors to Life Service, Inc., Spring Valley, N.Y., a corporation of New York Fiied June 23, 1962, Ser. No. 205,950 3 Claims. (Cl. 150- 35) This invention relates to compact pocket folders containing the medical history of a patient, and particularly to a device of that nature which will make available, to an attendant physician, detailed and complete medical case history information in aid of emergency diagnosis, while effectively concealing that information from a patient who is not suificiently mature emotionally to be fully informed as to the facts of his own ailment.

In the treatment especially of coronary artery diseases, present thinking encourages rehabilitation and return to gainful employment. Often these patients, because of the epidemiology of the disease, and the age group involved, are in executive positions involving travel for business or pleasure. The amount of such travel and the rapidity of modern transport increase the possibility that a medical emergency will occur in a location distant from the patients home, personal physician, and, most important, from detailed knowledge of his past history and physical findings. As the result, the attendant physician is under serious handicap in interpreting his prognosis and prescribing treatment, by lack of history of the patient with respect to prior physical findings such as rate and rhythm of pulse, blood pressure, electrocardiograms and the like, with which to compare the findings on the occasion of the emergency.

It is the object of the present invention to fill this need by alfording the patient a portable compact pocket folder containing data significant of his ailment and other pertinent physical findings which, until needed, are concealed from the patient.

There have been many proposals in the prior art for identification bracelets, necklaces, and the like, designat ing diabetic or other conditions of a patient for use in emergency. However, the shortcomings of such prior devices for present purposes are two. They are inade quate in the amount of information they can contain and, accordingly, do not fill the needs, especially of coronary patients, who should carry a fairly complete history including physical findings, laboratory data, a representative l2-lead EKG, physicians name, address, and phone as well as a record of drugs taken regularly, any allergies and previous hospitalizations, with name and address of the hospital, all of which is of utmost value to the attending physician, both for the information it contains and the leads by telephone to further information and, in instances, consultation. Second, such prior devices do not aiford means for displaying that detailed information in such a way that, while available at a moments notice, yet is concealed from the patient whose emotional maturity is inadequate to withstand the shock of satisfying his own curiosity as to such details.

In accordance with the present invention, we have provided a medical history compact pocket folder comprising a microfilm displaying the medical history in characters too small to be legible to the naked eye, mounted in a film carrier having a transparent portion in which the film is encolsed and through which it may be viewed and having, integral with the said transparent portion and protruding therefrom, a legend portion containing print legible to the naked eye identifying the patient, in combination with an envelope enclosing the wallet and maintaining the same in folded concealing position sealed against access by the patient with a permanent seal requiring at least partial destruction of the envelope for access to the wallet contents, which envelope is at least in part of a transparent material for visibility therethrough of the said protruding portion of the film carrier and which has formed integrally therewith a pocket clip of a rigid material which functions as a lever in tearing open the envelope for access to the wallet.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view of a piece of microfilm displaying case history information;

FIG. 2 is a view of the film carrier with the film mounted in the upper portion and the patient identifying data in the lower portion;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the carrier;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wallet;

FIG. 5 is a View of the device in extended position prior to sealing;

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 66 of FIG. 5 with the several plies increased in thickness for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 7 shows the sealed medical history pocket folder, and

FIG. 8 is a section on the line 83 of FIG. 7, with the plies increased in thickness.

Referring to the drawings, which are in full scale, FIG. 1 shows at 2 a microfilm of a conventional size, which, for purposes of illustration, is shown with three exposures 4, 6, and 8 of information photographed from conventional medical record cards, electrocardiograms, or the like.

Indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a film carrier composed of front and back sheets 12 and 14, respectively, of a transparent plastic material spaced apart by the intervening upper and lower strips 16 and 18 and by a third intermediate strip 20. The sheets 14 and 12 are sealed to the strips 16, 18, and 20 to form a unitary structure by applied adhesive or by thermoplastic or solvent plastic techniques conventional in the plastics art.

The upper and intermediate strips 16 and 20, respectively, define an enclosure 22 into which the film 2 may readily he slipped and the intermediate and lower strips 20 and 18, respectively, define a pocket 24 for the reception of a card 26 containing legends identifying the pa tient. As the sheets 12 and 14 are both transparent, the film 2 may readily be viewed therethrough as may the legend on the card 26.

The wallet 30 (FIG. 4) is composed of a single sheet of opaque material, such as real or imitation leather, folded at 32 to form a back ply 34 of a size commensurate with or slightly larger than the carrier 10, and a front flap 36 of a size to conceal the top half of the carrier 10 and the microfilm mounted therein while leaving exposed the protruding portion 26 containing the legend identifying the patient.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an envelope 40, preferably entirely of transparent material, forms a three-sided enclosure having its upper and lower plies 41 and 43, respectively, joined at the three side edges 42, 44, and 46, leaving an open mouth 48 at the fourth side. The lower ply 43 extends beyond upper ply 41 at the mouth 48 presenting a flap 481) which can be folded over the edge 48a of the upper ply at the mouth to function as a closure for the fourth side of the envelope. At 50 is a T-shaped member having a head 50a and shank 50b made in its entirety of a rigid plastic or other material. The head 50a is substantially coextensive with the widthwise dimension of the envelope. If desired, a magnifying glass 52 may be suitably secured in a conforming aperture in the shank 50b for a purpose which will appear.

In assembling the device, the carrier 10 (FIG. 2) with enclosed microfilm 2 and legend card 26 is positioned in the wallet 30 (FIG. 4) so that the flap 36 is folded down to overlie and conceal the film 2 leaving the protruding legend card portion 26 of the carrier exposed to view. The assembled carrier and wallet are then inserted in the mouth opening 48 of the envelope 40, after which the T member 50 is inserted in the mouth in the position shown, and the flap 48b folded over and sealed. The flap has a suitable opening to accommodate the shank 50b. Thereafter the T,member is folded over from its position of FIGS. 5 and ,6 to that of FIGS. 7 and 8 along the line X-X of FIG. 3 so that the margin of upper ply 41 adjacent the edge 48a is folded back on itself. A heat seal in the zone Y-Y of FIG. 8 fuses to: gether these bent-back portions of the upper layer 41 while also bonding the headStla of the T member to the portion of upper and lower plies 41 and 43 contiguous thereto. The mouth opening is thus permanently sealed since it cannot be opened without tearing the plastic itself if the seal, as is preferred, fuses the plastic together. Furthermore; there is thereby formed an integral closure of sufiicient tensile strength and tear resistance to hold the T'member 5G firmly in its folded position of FIG. 7 for an added purpose. It is common in emergency treatments to search a persons wallet for identificatin, and the compact folder of the present invention is so devised that it may be carried in the wallet using the T member 50 as a clip holding the device in the wallet and displaying an appropriate legend 66 as to the type of patient and the information within the compact folder.

In use, to gain access to the microfilm, T member 50 is bent backwardly to its extended position and then twisted sharply to nlpture the envelope closure. Until such rupture on the occasion of an emergency, the microfilm is concealed-by the flap 36 (FIG. 4). The destructive damage'to the compact folder required to open it is a psychological impediment to examination of the contents by the patient merely to satisfy his curiosity. When the carrier with its enclosed film is removed, it is of a size for reception by the conventional microfilm projectors, but if time will not permit the use of a projector in the conventional manner, the microfilm may be read at the scene by holding it to the light and using the small and crude, yet effective, magnifying glass 52.

We claim:

1. A compact pocket folder for medical history data comprising a microfilm containing the said data, a carrier for the film made of a transparent material enablingthe film to be viewed therethrough, a wallet enclosing the carrier made of an opaque material concealing the film from view and an envelope enclosing the wallet having a permanent seal requiring at least partial destruction of the envelope for access to'the wallet. 7

2. A medical history pocket com pact comprising a microfilm displaying the history in characters illegible to the naked eye, a film carrier having a transparent portion in which the film is enclosed and through which it may be viewed and having integral with the said transparent portion and protruding therefrom a legend portion containing print legible to the naked eye identifying the patient, a wallet comprising an opaque material folded to enclose the carrier with its said transparent portion and the film enclosed therein concealed from view and with its said legend portion protruding from the wallet exposed to View, an envelope enclosing the wallet maintaining the same in folded concealing position, the envelope-being sealed against access with a permanent seal requiring at least partial destruction of the envelope for access to the wallet contents, the said envelope being at least in part of a transparent material for visibility therethrongh of the said protruding portion of the carrier.

3. A medical history pocket compact comprising a microfilm displaying the history in characters illegible to the naked eye, a film carrier having a transparent portion in which the film is enclosed and through which it may be viewed and having integral with the said transparentportion and protruding therefrom a legend portion containing print legible to the naked eye identifying the patient, a wallet comprising an opaque material folded to enclose the carrier with its said transparent portion and the film enclosed therein concealed from view and with its said legend portion protruding from the wallet exposed to view, an envelope enclosing the wallet maintaining the same in folded concealing position, the envelope being sealed'against access with a permanent seal requiring at least partial destruction of the envelope for access to the wallet contents, the said envelope being at least in part of a transparent material for visibility therethrough of the said protruding portion of the carrier, and a pocket clip, attached to the closure of said envelope and having sufiicient rigidity to afford leverage in tearing open the said envelope.

No references cited. 

2. A MEDICAL HISTORY POCKET COMPACT COMPRISING A MICROFILM DISPLAYING THE HISTORY IN CHARACTERS ILLEGIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE, A FILM CARRIER HAVING A TRANSPARENT PORTION IN WHICH THE FILM IS ENCLOSED AND THROUGH WHICH IT MAY BE VIEWED AND HAVING INTEGRAL WITH THE SAID TRANSPARENT PORTION AND PROTRUDING THEREFROM A LEGEND PORTION CONTAINING PRINT LEGIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE IDENTIFYING THE PATIENT, A WALLET COMPRISING AN OPAQUE MATERIAL FOLDED TO ENCLOSE THE CARRIER WITH ITS SAID TRANSPARENT PORTION AND THE FILM ENCLOSED THEREIN CONCEALED FROM VIEW AND WITH ITS SAID LEGEND PORTION PROTRUDING FROM THE WALLET EXPOSED TO VIEW, AN ENVELOPE ENCLOSING THE WALLET MAINTAINING THE SAME IN FOLDED CONCEALING POSITION, THE ENVELOPE BEING SEALED AGAINST ACCESS WITH A PERMANENT SEAL REQUIRING AT LEAST PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE ENVELOPE FOR ACCESS TO THE WALLET CONTENTS, THE SAID ENVELOPE BEING AT LEAST IN PART OF A TRANSPARENT MATERIAL FOR VISIBILITY THERETHROUGH OF THE SAID PROTRUDING PORTION OF THE CARRIER. 